Report: Von Miller gets to keep his bonus money

Posted by Mike Florio on February 2, 2014, 11:00 AM EDT

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The Broncos could be getting very good news tonight, based on the outcome of Super Bowl XLVIII. But it’s already been a very good week for linebacker Von Miller, even though he won’t be playing in the game.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Miller “will get to keep more than $1 million from his signing bonus that the Broncos were attempting to get back.”

The tweet is a bit misleading, in that the Broncos didn’t want to take money from Miller. Under the labor deal, however, they had no choice. If/when a player is suspended under the substance-abuse policy, partial bonus forfeiture becomes automatic.

For Miller, $1.2 million was at risk. Presumably, the NFLPA successfully argued that, because Miller’s six-game suspension resulted not from the appeals process but from a negotiated settlement that omitted a specific mandate of bonus repayment, Miller gets to keep the money.

If so, it’s an important point for players to keep in mind when negotiating suspensions in the future.

huh? the owner of the Broncos negotiated a settlement with the players and part of that settlement included the owners stating they want bonus money back for suspensions but PFT contends the Broncos DIDN’T want the money back?